The flames seen in the ‘M*A*S*H’ finale episode are real and were shot minutes before the 1982 fire engulfed the set

NEED TO KNOW

• In 1982, a fire broke out in Malibu and burned down the M*A*S*H set, altering the show’s finale
• The flames seen in the final episode are real and were shot minutes before the wildfire engulfed the set
• The finale episode, “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen,” became the most-watched television program in history (excluding Super Bowls)

Forty-four years ago, a real-life fire destroyed the M*A*S*H set and unexpectedly changed the show’s series finale.  

On Oct. 9, 1982, a wildfire broke out on the 20th Century Fox Ranch and destroyed the set of the beloved sitcom. The final episode of M*A*S*H was being filmed as the fire engulfed what is now Malibu Creek State Park. 

Kellye Nakahara, who played Nurse Kellye, told The Hollywood Reporter that an on-site fire marshal, who had seen the fire coming, warned the cast and crew they had 10 minutes to wrap up production before evacuating the premises.

“When we were done, we ran to the vans, jeeps and trucks and bugged out,” she said. “The fire came down and wiped out the entire set within 10 minutes.”

During those final 10 minutes, the crew captured footage of the flames, not yet knowing they’d be used in the finale episode titled “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.” 

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When writer Alan Alda, who also played Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, and executive producer Burt Metcalfe returned to the burned-down set, they decided to include the fire in the show’s storyline. 

With so many storylines to resolve, Metcalfe approached CBS about expanding the finale into a feature-length television event.

“There were just so many elements to tie together, so many people to say goodbye to, and so many stories we wanted to tell,” Metcalfe told Woman’s World. “One day I called CBS and said, ‘We’ve got more material here. We could easily go two and a half hours. Would that be of interest to you?’ They called back and said, ‘You bet.’”

The finale episode was not the last episode they filmed. So, after the fire, the crew rebuilt the set and attempted to spray-paint the mountains green. Once they were done filming, the crew returned them to their charred state. 

“Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” went on to become one of the most-watched television broadcasts in history (excluding Super Bowls), with over 100 million people watching. 

When the finale aired, series editor Stanford Tischler told Woman’s World that the streets of Los Angeles were empty. “It was like a ghost town. It was eerie. Everybody was inside watching that show,” he said. “There wasn’t a car on the street. We drove up Pico Boulevard, Westwood Boulevard — not a car anywhere. It was like an atomic bomb had hit. A real eerie feeling.”

M*A*S*H aired from September 1972 to Feb. 28, 1983. Adapted from the 1970 film of the same name, the series followed a medical staff stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in South Korea. 

Over its 11-season run, M*A*S*H earned 14 Emmy Awards.

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